Follow-up & Negotiation

Post-Interview Follow-Up

Follow-up is critical during the interview process. A thank you letter, restating your interest in the position and the organization, should be sent within 24 hours of each interview, and should be sent to each person with whom you spoke. Be sure to ask for business cards or ask the person arranging the interview for the correct spelling, titles, business emails or business addresses of each person you met. Make each note somewhat different, and try to reference something you discussed in the interview. Take no further action until at least one week beyond the date when they said they would contact you. At that time, a phone call to see if a decision has been made is appropriate.

Sample Wording for Thank You Letter

It was a pleasure to meet with you to speak about the Marketing Representative position at ABC Organization. I especially appreciated talking with you about ….

If given the opportunity, I am confident I can make valuable contributions to your organization. Thank you for the time you took to interview me. I look forward to hearing from you about this position.

Job Offer Evaluation

After receiving an offer, you may ask yourself: Should I take it? How do I decide between multiple offers? How do I accept or decline the offer?

Should I Accept an Offer?

Think very carefully about the offer and don’t accept until you are ready, as an acceptance must be made in good faith with an intention to honor the acceptance. Some questions to ask yourself include:

Are the organization’s values and culture in sync with mine? Did I engage well with the people I met?

Is the work challenging? Do they provide me with quality professional development opportunities? Will it take me on my desired professional path in a reasonable time frame?

Even if it isn’t the exact position I was hoping for, will I gain skills that will positively influence my career/professional development?

If you would like to discuss your situation please contact The Career Center to speak with a career counselor.

Accepting an Offer

When accepting a job offer, you should do so in writing—restating your interest and the key components of your job offer. However, any acceptance—even verbal—must only be given with the full intention of honoring that acceptance.

The Career Center’s Ethical Job Search Student Contract requires that you also notify all other organizations to whom you have applied that you have accepted an offer and wish to withdraw your name from further consideration. You may also consider notifying and thanking all those who have helped you in your job search, including those who served as references, provided you leads, and gave advice.

Declining an Offer

Sending a letter declining an offer is important to assure good relations with the organization. Decline an offer as soon as you are no longer interested or immediately after accepting an offer from another organization. Declining an offer tactfully in a timely manner will not offend the organization. Express your appreciation, thanking them for the opportunity, etc.

Exploding Offers

Exploding offers are those with short deadlines. The Center’s Employer Job Offer Policy outlines the timing required for employers to provide students to make decisions. If you are faced with an exploding offer, please contact our staff; we can help negotiate the date if the employer recruited on campus through The Career Center.

Requesting More Time

When faced with a decision to accept an offer that you feel you can’t make in the time allotted, you can consider requesting more time from the employer. Asking for more time usually will not cause the employer to withdraw their offer; however, it is important to let the employer know how interested you are, and to be prepared to explain why you need additional time to make a decision. If they are within our guidelines, and are not willing to extend the deadline, be prepared to make a decision.